Authors: Bärbel Stecher, Riccardo Robbiani, Alan W Walker, Astrid M Westendorf, Manja Barthel, Marcus Kremer, Samuel Chaffron, Andrew J Macpherson, Jan Buer, Julian Parkhill, Gordon Dougan, Christian von Mering, Wolf-Dietrich Hardt
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0050244
Abstract Summary
Salmonella overcomes the gut’s protective microbiota by deliberately triggering inflammation. Researchers found that inflammatory responses induced by the pathogen suppress normal gut bacteria, allowing Salmonella to thrive. Avirulent strains unable to cause inflammation were outcompeted, but regained advantage when inflammation was provided externally—proving inflammation is both necessary and sufficient for infection success.
Why Brain? 🧠
Salmonella triggers intestinal inflammation to suppress protective gut bacteria, enabling infection. This challenges the view that immune responses always harm pathogens, revealing how bacteria exploit inflammation for competitive advantage.
The image is AI-generated for illustrative purposes only. Courtesy of Midjourney.
